Obama lobbies Business Roundtable at holiday party

President Barack Obama took on the role of health care lobbyist Monday when he pulled Business Roundtable President John Castellani out of a White House holiday party and personally urged him to stick with the reform effort.

In the private meeting that took place after Obama addressed partygoers, the president “impressed upon him that the bill will bring down costs for business,” according to an administration source.

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In an interview with POLITICO, Castellani confirmed the impromptu meeting and said he used the opportunity to encourage the president to back a package of amendments being offered by freshman Democratic senators aimed at accelerating cost containment measures.

“I hope they will make that decision,” Castellani said. The White House official described the meeting as “very productive.”

Castellani said last week that without fundamental changes to the current health reform plans, the White House and congressional Democrats risked losing the support of the Roundtable, the last major corporate group that is standing by their effort.

The president’s personal engagement illustrates how intensely the White House wants to keep the Roundtable at the table.

The Roundtable is one of the most influential business groups in Washington. It is comprised of about 160 CEOs of the biggest corporations in the nation who provide health care to millions of employees.

The organization, unlike the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has encouraged the reform effort in hopes that changes in the health care system will curb or reverse the increasingly burdensome costs businesses face each year.

However, the Roundtable’s board last week raised alarms that the cost containment provisions in the Senate bill were not aggressive enough and would not accomplish that goal. The group also opposes a new set of taxes and fees that would affect its membership.

Castellani has said the Roundtable’s ultimate support – or opposition – will hinge on the fate of the amendment package and other changes in the legislation.